


In The Rain

by SilverMoonSky



Series: ML Oneshots [66]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Childhood Friends, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Relationships, F/F, Friends to Enemies, Hopeful Ending, Light Angst, Love Confessions, Platonic Relationships, Post-Episode: s03 Miracle Queen (The Battle of the Miraculous Part 2), Post-Season/Series 03, post-reveal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-07
Updated: 2020-11-07
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:09:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,704
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27426976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverMoonSky/pseuds/SilverMoonSky
Summary: “You’re so unbelievably oblivious!” Chloé yells. “I tried giving you so many signals, but now it looks like the only way you’ll realize is if I say it outright!”“Chloé!” Marinette exclaims just as she says the words—“I knew you were the girl I loved from the moment I first met you.”Time seems to slow down as Marinette’s breath catches in her throat. She stares at the girl standing in front of her. Her icy blue eyes are narrowed, and yet, there’s a hint of underlying. . . . affection? Admiration?Marinette‘s eyes widen in shock. Does she really care about Adrien this much? Is she really going to fight for this even if Adrien keeps denying her feelings? Because that means—Wait.Girl?---Or, in which Chloé finally confesses her feelings for Marinette, but the two of them find they have a long way to go in order to mend their current relationship.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Chloé Bourgeois, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Chloé Bourgeois/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Series: ML Oneshots [66]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1643566
Comments: 21
Kudos: 171
Collections: Miraculous Fanworks Anniversary 2020





	In The Rain

**Author's Note:**

  * For [PrinceKapitan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrinceKapitan/gifts).



> This was written for the Miraculous Fanworks Discord Server anniversary giveaway! I have been wanting an excuse to write Chlonette for a long time, and I'm glad I was finally able to. I hope you enjoy!
> 
> Some notes: this is post-reveal for Marinette and Adrien, and post-season 3, however, Chloé is on her way to having a redemption.
> 
> A huge thank you to [Mini](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MiniNoire/pseuds/MiniNoire) for being my lovely beta <3

_A young girl sits on the banks of the Seine._

_Her knees are pulled against her chest, her arms are wrapped around her legs, and loud sniffles come from her as she rocks herself back and forth._

_She’s alone. She isn’t supposed to be here. That much is clear._

_But she doesn’t know where else she can go._

_She has no intention of going back home. The last thing she wants is to go back to the same place with loud screams and threats being thrown and all the arguing, the arguing that hurts her head and makes her want to cry. She_ refuses _to go back there._

_Which is why, despite the fact her dress is soiled, her blond hair is a mess, and thunderclouds are gathering, Chloé Bourgeois isn’t moving._

_Instead, she sits there. She sits there as the rain slowly starts to fall and washes away her tears, she sits there and lets herself drown in her own thoughts and miseries with no one to interrupt her. She sits there and lets out all her tears, because this isn’t_ fair _and she shouldn’t have to deal with this and she just wants it all to_ end—

_Chloé doesn’t hear the footsteps. She doesn’t realize when suddenly, the rain stops hitting her hair and shoulders. Too immersed in her own world, she almost doesn’t notice when someone crouches beside her and quietly whispers to her:_

_“Are you okay?”_

_Chloé instantly flinches and scrambles away from the voice, away from the safe haven underneath the umbrella the stranger had been holding. As soon as she’s put a decent chunk of distance between them, she looks up. The stranger is crouching a few feet away from her. She's watching Chloé with wide, blue eyes._

_“Who are you?” Chloé asks warily, a slight edge in her voice._

_The stranger—who Chloé can now see as a young girl about her age, with bluebell eyes and dark hair—simply shrugs._

_“You seem lonely.”_

_Chloé bites back a,_ of course I am, _and instead warily looks at the stranger._

_“Why do you care?”_

_She looks back at Chloé with wide eyes, as if the question surprises her. “Why not?”_

_Chloé stares at the girl in disbelief. Clearly whoever raised this girl didn't teach her how to tell when someone wants to be left alone._

_“Go away,” she mutters._

_“But it’s raining.”_

_“So? I don’t care.”_

_“You’re going to get soaked,” the girl says._

_“I would’ve brought my own umbrella if I cared,” Chloé snaps._

_She seems to ponder over Chloé’s statement for a while before moving to sit beside her. Chloé, seeing her movement, scoots away to keep some distance between them. Chloé looks away. They’re both sitting on the banks of the Seine, with Chloé under the rain and the girl with an umbrella over her head._

_The girl stares at Chloé thoughtfully. “Why are you out here all alone?”_

_“Why would I tell you?” Chloé says, rolling her eyes._

_She looks at her with wide eyes. “Are you lost? Did you accidentally get caught in the rain?”_

_“No,” she says dismissively._

_“Oh.”_

_Chloé feels herself getting irritated. Why is the girl still here? Chloé’s sure she would have driven off the girl by now because of her attitude. Everyone usually is. They all complain, and Chloé always has to tell them they’re being too sensitive. She’s just about to tell the girl to leave when she starts speaking._

_“You know, you could catch a cold if you stay out here too long without an umbrella.”_

_“I_ know.”

_“Then why don’t you have an umbrella?”_

_“Because I didn’t bring one,” she snaps.”_

_“Okay then,” she says, unwavering, “here. Take my umbrella instead.”_

_“I literally_ just _said—”_

_“You say that now, but you never know.” The girl shrugs. “The rain might not stop for the next few hours, and you look like you don’t plan to leave this place. You might as well just take the umbrella and stay here rather than refuse and get sick later.”_

_Chloé opens her mouth, ready to say no. Who is_ she _to tell her what to do and what not to do? They don’t even know each other!_

_“Please?” she asks softly. “Please take my umbrella. My Papa has another one we can share, so I don’t need this one. I promise I won’t bother you afterwards.”_

_“How do I know that?” Chloé asks defensively._

_The girl opens her mouth to reply, but before she can, another voice interrupts them._

_“Marinette!” a voice yells. “Marinette, where did you go?”_

Marinette.

_So that’s her name._

_Chloé looks at her. The girl, Marinette, is staring back at her pleadingly. She holds out her umbrella so that’s in between them._

_There are two girls sitting on the banks of the Seine, an umbrella between them as they both get soaked in the rain._

_Chloé’s lips part. She wants to refuse. The last thing Chloé wants to do is accept anything from a total stranger._

_And yet, as the girl looks at her with those pretty eyes and a soft smile, she feels something unlike anything she’s ever experienced before, something tugging at her heart._

_It would be_ wrong _to refuse this. She knows it would be._

_“Take it,” Marinette whispers one last time. “Please.”_

_Slowly, Chloé reaches a hand out. Their fingers brush together, and Chloé jolts at the touch. Their hands fumble before the umbrella is in her possession._

_Chloé looks at Marinette with wide eyes. The girl simply smiles back at her._

_“Marinette!”_

_In an instant, whatever moment had been between them shattered._

_“Coming, Papa!” Marinette jumps to her feet, turning towards Chloé. “I have to go,” she says, “but I hope you feel better soon.”_

_And Chloé sits there, watching as the girl with bluebell eyes and dark hair and a kind heart runs, getting soaked in the rain as she stays dry._

_Chloé Bourgeois is six years old when she first meets Marinette Dupain-Cheng through a simple act of kindness._

_It’s a simple gesture._

_But it’s an act of kindness she’s inclined to never forget._

* * *

Recently, things at school have been different.

The days start off like any other days. Marinette oversleeps, she scrambles to get to school on time, and just barely manages to slip into class on time. She greets Nino and Adrien, makes her way to her desk, slumps down beside Alya, and gets ready to trudge through the school day. There’s an occasional akuma attack here or there, but she’s able to scrap by pretty easily.

Only it’s also different. Marinette can’t place it. As she goes through the days, she can’t help but feel as though something is. . . . _off._

Something _is_ off. Something is missing. Something she’s used to, something Marinette always, _always_ expects every single day, isn’t there.

Instead, there’s something else. Something else she isn’t used to at _all._

Chloé.

There’s Chloé awkwardly smiling at her when she walks into their shared class, and instantly scowling when Marinette stares back at her in confusion. There’s Chloé surprisingly _not_ picking fights with other kids and instead keeping to herself and Sabrina. There’s Chloé suddenly offering Marinette and her friends if they’d ever like to come shopping with her, or come to the Grande Paris, the way friends casually ask each other to hang out.

Only Chloé isn’t her friend. She may have been once, but they aren’t friends anymore.

It’s why the situation is so bizarre. It feels like Chloé has done an entire one-eighty in a matter of days, and the worst part?

Marinette knows exactly _why_ she’s doing it.

_“Ladybug, I need advice.”_

_Ladybug turns from where she’s about to leave Chloé’s balcony. It’s right after an akuma battle, and she’s retrieving the Bee Miraculous. “What’s up?”_

_Chloé bites her lip. “Please don’t judge me.”_

_“Why would I judge you?”_

_“I’m in love with someone but I don’t know how to tell them how I feel.”_

_Ladybug raises her eyebrows in surprise. “What?”_

_“They’re. . . . well, we’re childhood friends, but we’ve drifted so far apart and I haven’t been the nicest to them and I, uh, don’t know how to mend our relationship.”_

Adrien.

_That’s the first person that comes to mind. That’s the only person Chloé could possibly be talking about, right? There’s no one else that fits her description._

_“You know what, forget it,” Chloé mutters as she sees Ladybug still staring at her in shock. “I can figure it out my—”_

_“No wait!” Ladybug exclaims. “Sorry, sorry, I just uh. . . . do you want me to give you advice?”_

_“It would be appreciated,” she says begrudgingly._

_Ladybug mulls it over. What exactly would help?_

_“I think the most you can do is try to be nice,” she says. “Be friendly with them, and try to become friends first. If you feel like you’ve drifted way too far apart, try asking them if they want to hang out to do things you both like doing. I think if you try to figure that out first, you can figure out the relationship aspects later.”_

_Months ago, it would’ve repulsed Ladybug to give Chloé advice on how to pursue Adrien. But now? It’s been a long journey, but both she and Adrien have realized they don’t really love each other the way they want themselves to._

_They’re better off as friends, and they’re both perfectly fine with that._

_The question is, though, how Adrien feels about Chloé._

_Ladybug makes a note to herself to ask him about it._

_“Okay,” Chloé says. “Thank you, Ladybug.”_

_Ladybug smiles at her. “Of course,” she says, before waving and launching herself away from the Grand Paris._

That had happened weeks ago. It explains the change in her behavior, and yet. . . .

Why _her?_ Why is Chloé being nice to _her_ when it’s obvious the person she’s in love with is Adrien?

Asking Adrien gets her nowhere (“maybe she just uh, wants more friends?”), inquiring the rest of her friends does nothing but make her head spin (“I’m telling you, Marinette, she’s just putting up an act!”), and Tikki doesn’t have much helpful advice, either (“just try and be nice to her!”).

All in all, she’s just confused.

“—test was so easy! How do you think you did, Marinette? I think I did pretty well.”

Marinette snaps back to the present moment. She shrugs as she turns towards Adrien. The two of them are standing in the locker room after their last class, gathering the things they need before they go home.

“Yeah, I guess I did alright,” Marinette says as she grabs her things out of her locker.

“I’m just glad we didn't have to go fight an akuma. We’ve already had to skimp out on this class twice this week. I don’t know how many more absences Miss Bustier will tolerate.”

“Don’t jinx it,” she scolds. “With your luck, the next akuma attack will happen right when we’re in her class taking a test again.”

Adrien grins. “Nah, your good luck will counter it for the both of us.”

Marinette’s just about to reply when suddenly, the door to the locker room suddenly slams open. Marinette’s head whips around to see Chloé glowering in the doorway. She already seems to be in a bad mood, however, it seems to increase tenfold as she makes eye contact with Marinette.

Chloé’s ice blue gaze sends chills down her spine. Marinette’s eyes nervously dart around. Aside from her and Adrien, Chloé is the only other person in the locker room, and it doesn’t look like she’s about to leave anytime soon.

_What’s wrong with her?_

This is so much more different than the Chloé who smiled at her in the morning, or the Chloé who picked up her books when Marinette accidentally dropped them earlier that day. Suddenly, it seems as though the Chloé from months ago, the Chloé who snapped at every little thing and refused to change, isn’t here anymore.

But what pissed her off this much?

Seeing the sheer rage alight in Chloé’s gaze, Marinette quickly realizes she doesn’t want to find out.

She tears her gaze away and shuts her locker. “Adrien, let’s go.”

“Are you kidding me?” Chloé asks. Her voice is scarily lower than usual. She’s glaring at the two of them, her hand clenching the door of the locker room so hard that her knuckles are white. “Are you really just going to stand there and _pretend_ you don’t understand a single thing?”

Chloé releases the door from her grasp. Marinette instinctively finds herself taking a step backwards as she walks towards them, while Adrien moves towards his childhood friend.

“Chlo—”

“How do you _still_ not notice that I’m in love with you?” Chloé's shrill tone of voice raises with each word she says. “I’ve dropped hint after hint for years, and it seems like no matter how many I drop, you _never_ notice!”

Marinette bites her lip. It’s taking all of her self-control to run from Chloé’s wrath and leave the locker room, however, it’s clear Adrien needs her. It’s not his fault he keeps denying Chloé has feelings for him.

 _“Chloé? Has feelings for_ me?”

 _“Yes,” Marinette says. The two of them are sitting next to each other, doing their homework in the library. It’s been_ _a few days since Chloé asked Ladybug for advice, and Marinette still can’t get it out of her head._

_Adrien simply laughs. “Nah, you’ve got it wrong. She doesn’t like me like that.”_

_Marinette rolls her eyes. “Stop being oblivious. It’s clearly you she’s talking about.”_

_“Uh huh, keep thinking that.”_

_“And what’s that supposed to mean?”_

_Adrien shrugs, and Marinette lets out a sigh before getting back to work._

She glances in his direction. He seems very uncomfortable at Chloé's confession. Marinette clenches a fist. There’s absolutely no reason Chloé should be acting this way! Didn’t she tell Chloé as Ladybug to be nice? This is _far_ from being nice.

She’s ready to open her mouth and tell Chloé to stop, but the blond-haired girl barrels on.

“Do you have any idea of how long I’ve dreamt about this? How long I’ve wanted this?”

“Chloé—”

“You’re so unbelievably oblivious!” Chloé yells. “I tried giving you so many signals, but now it looks like the only way you’ll realize is if I say it outright!” 

“Chloé!” Marinette exclaims just as she says the words—

“I knew you were the girl I loved from the moment I first met you.”

Time seems to slow down as Marinette’s breath catches in her throat. She stares at the girl standing in front of her. Her icy blue eyes are narrowed, and yet, there’s a hint of underlying. . . . affection? Admiration?

Marinette‘s eyes widen in shock. Does she really care about Adrien this much? Is she really going to fight for this even if Adrien keeps denying her feelings? Because that means—

Wait.

_Girl?_

Astonished, Marinette turns to Adrien with raised eyebrows. “Girl? Adrien, but I thought--”

“I’m not the one she’s talking about,” Adrien says, speaking for the first time since Chloé started talking, shaking his head rapidly.

“W-What? But then. . . .” Marinette trails off, a question in her gaze as she turns towards Chloé. “Who?”

Chloé’s lips twist in a snarl. “You, obviously! Who else?”

_W-What?_

As Marinette continues to stand there, her eyes wide and her entire body rigid, Chloé suddenly seems to stiffen. She takes a step back.

“Forget it,” she mutters, and she turns and flees, leaving Marinette standing there in utter confusion.

* * *

_Marinette Dupain-Cheng has a penchant for being kind._

_It doesn’t take long for Chloé to realize this. When she meets Marinette in school months later, she’s surprised to see Marinette actually recognizes her. And, when the girl waves her over, asking her to sit beside her on that first day, Chloé agrees._

_It’s a strange first day of school. Normally, no other kid_ — _or teacher, for that matter_ — _could tolerate her in school. They all claim she’s too arrogant and that she flaunts her status as the Mayor’s daughter too much. Often, she finds they all ridicule her for it._

 _But how is she_ not _supposed to talk about it? If she has a status, she can use it! She’s allowed to use it!_

_And yet Marinette—Marinette, all-so wise and ever-so kind, tells her otherwise._

_On that very first day, Chloé tries her hardest to control herself. She really does. She doesn’t want to drive off Marinette like she did with everyone else._

_But it’s hard. As they sit beside one another, Chloé finds herself snapping at a kid who accidentally stepped on her bag, yells at someone for bumping into her in the hallway, and other things happen and she threatens to tell her father so he’ll take care of it. . . ._

_And each and every time, Marinette places a hand on her arm and tells her to stop._

_It astonishes Chloé. Normally when this happens, people realize they made a mistake in trying to befriend her, and leave._

_But this doesn’t happen with Marinette. Marinette doesn’t realize she’s made a mistake. Marinette doesn’t snap right back at Chloé and yell at her. Marinette doesn’t leave._

_She’s gentle. Kind. She goes over to the kid that Chloé made burst into tears and comforts them, before coming back and telling Chloé to go and apologize._

_Chloé doesn’t_ want _to. She has no_ need _to apologize for some random kid being ignorant about who they were dealing with._

_But, as she sees Marinette looking at her pleadingly—just like she had all those months ago when she offered her umbrella—Chloé finds herself unable to say no._

_It’s like that for the rest of the school year. Chloé finds it weird, in all honesty._

_Because Marinette stays by her side. Marinette tells her if what she’s doing is right or wrong, when she should apologize and when she should stick up for herself, and is always there for her when things get rough with her family and she just wants to run out in the rain like she did when they first met._

_Chloé finds a strange sense of belonging when it comes to being with Marinette. It’s unlike anything she’s ever experienced before._

_And, the longer she spends time with Marinette, the more she finds herself mesmerized with her presence._

_The more she finds she never wants to let this go._

* * *

_“I knew you were the girl I loved from the moment I first met you.”_

The words play through Marinette’s head over and over as she rushes out of the locker room, running away from Adrien yelling after her. She makes her way towards the bakery, up to the apartment, and up to her bedroom.

She hates to admit that it makes sense.

Because of _course_ it makes sense.

Chloé mentioned she was in love with a childhood friend, one whose relationship with her was rocky. . . . and Marinette fit that description perfectly. She’s been way too nice to her recently, which also further proves the fact And yet. . . .

There’s nothing between her and Chloé—there hasn’t been for _years._ They aren’t friends. Their friendship ended the day Audrey Bourgeois left for New York, the day Chloé decided she no longer needed her. The two of them have toed the line of being enemies for too long.

_“I knew you were the girl I loved from the moment I first met you.”_

In all honesty, the day she met Chloé is a blur to her. She remembers going out with her father, it started to rain, and they began to head back towards the bakery when Marinette saw a girl sitting on the banks of the Seine. Out of sheer curiosity, she climbed down the steps and sat beside her on the Seine.

Marinette doesn’t really remember _why_ she did what she did. She thinks it’s because she thought Chloé looked lonely, or was worried she’d get sick, but either way, she ends up giving her the umbrella before running back to her father. He scolds her for being so careless and “losing” her umbrella, and later, when she’s at home, wrapped up in a blanket with a cold, she wonders about the girl she left behind in the rain.

It’s only when Marinette meets her at school months later that she realizes it was none other than Chloé Bourgeois.

Marinette slams her trapdoor shut as soon as she climbs into her bedroom, and flops straight onto her chaise lounge.

 _“Tikki,”_ she groans, “I don’t know what to do.”

Her kwami hovers above her head. “You mean what happened with Chloé?”

“Yes! How in the world was I supposed to know she likes me? She’s _never_ liked me that much in the first place!”

 _Except back when we first met,_ whispers a voice in the back of her head, but Marinette refuses to acknowledge it.

“Well, she was actually pretty obvious about it.”

Marinette yelps in surprise, hastily scrambling off her chaise lounge to see Chat Noir poking his head through her skylight.

“I thought I told you to knock before you came in,” Marinette says, raising an eyebrow.

“You didn’t hear it,” Chat says sheepishly as he detransforms and scrambles down the ladder that leads into her bedroom. “And besides, that’s not important now, anyways.”

In an instant, Marinette narrows her eyes. “Did you know she was going to do this?”

“Do what?”

“Don’t play dumb, Adrien.”

He lets out a sigh and comes to sit beside her on the chaise lounge. “No, I didn’t know she was going to confess today.”

“But you knew she liked me.”

He shrugs. “I told you I wasn’t the one she was in love with.”

Marinette lets out a sigh of frustration. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“It’s not my place to tell you,” Adrien says with a shrug. “And besides, up until recently, I was in love with you too. It. . . . it put us both in a very awkward situation.”

Marinette sighs. She wishes she could pester Adrien about that, but the truth is, he’s right. It’s not his place to tell.

“Okay, fine. That makes sense. But explain something to me: exactly _how_ was Chloé being obvious about her feelings? And before you say anything,” she adds hastily, “no, Chloé being ‘nice’ and ‘sweet’ is _not_ her being obvious.”

Adrien leans back on the chaise lounge and shrugs. “She’s making an effort and trying. It’s not easy for her. She’s trying to be nice. She feels like the only way to get you to like her is if she acts like an entirely different person, because you hate her.”

“I don’t hate Chloé,” she says, baffled.

“That’s what I told her—”

“Why would _I_ hate her?” Marinette asks, barreling on before Adrien has a chance to finish. “I gave her a second chance with her Miraculous even _after_ she sided with Hawk Moth! I don’t _hate_ her. She’s becoming a better person, and although it’s weird when she does a random one-eighty all of a sudden, I can confirm no matter how terrible Chloé has acted in the past, I do _not_ hate her. That’s final.”

Adrien chuckles in amusement upon seeing Marinette huffing in indignation. “Well, she knows _Ladybug_ doesn’t hate her. But not Marinette.”

“I—oh.”

“Yeah.”

Marinette lets out a sigh for what seems like the hundredth time that day. “That’s a lot more complicated.”

Adrien scoots closer to her, and unconsciously, Marinette moves towards him as well. She finds herself putting her head on his shoulder.

“How so?”

“I just. . . . I don’t know what to do. I’ve never really thought of Chloé that way in the first place? When we were younger we were good friends, but now. . . . it’s been a long time.” Marinette sighs. “She’s said and done a lot of things since then. I don’t _hate_ her, per se, but. . . .”

Adrien hums in agreement. “That’s totally fair, Marinette. But before you try to figure out your feelings, think about this instead: why do you think _she’s_ in love with you? What reasons do you think she has to love you?”

Marinette’s thoughts flit back to memories of her and Chloé as children, of the times they spent time drawing and dancing and singing and shopping and playing and laughing together, of the days Chloé sometimes curled up against her and simply cried because of everything that was happening at home, of the moments where they knew they had each other and needed no one else.

They’re fond memories. She can’t deny that.

But. . . .

“I think I need more time to figure it out,” Marinette says quietly, looking down at her hands.

“That’s alright.” Adrien smiles at her fondly. “Do you want me to stay or leave?”

She wants to ask him to stay, she really does, but Marinette knows that in the end, the final decision is all hers. Adrien can’t stay and hold her hand or sway her towards making a decision.

She pulls away. “I’ll be fine on my own. You should probably go check on Chloé.”

“Alright.” Adrien leans over and pulls her into a quick embrace. In an instant, Marinette is hugging him back and letting herself melt into his arms.

“You’ll figure something out,” Adrien murmurs. “You’re Ladybug. You always do.”

“Thank you,” she whispers back.

Adrien leaves Marinette sitting there, sorting through dozens of memories to bring clarity and figure things out.

* * *

_But Chloé does let her go._

_When her parent’s relationship has finally splintered apart and her mother leaves Paris shortly after Chloé’s eighth birthday, she doesn’t know what to do._

_One moment, Marinette’s by her side, trying her best to comfort her._

_The next, Chloé is pushing her away, screaming at her, yelling at her._

_“I don’t need you!” she snaps. “Just leave me alone! You don’t understand!”_

_“Chloé—”_

_“Just leave me alone,” she hisses._

_Marinette does, that first day. She realizes talking with Chloé isn’t going to get her anywhere, and leaves, letting Chloé immerse herself in her own feelings. Chloé cries and sobs and throws pillows and stomps around her room for the rest of the day._

_But Marinette comes back the next day._

_Chloé yells and pushes her away once again._

_It goes in circles._

_She ignores Marinette’s protests. She continues to push her away. Pushes her away and away and away, and, when she doesn’t stop coming back. . . . she hurts her._

_Hurts her with the same words her mother hurt her with._

_“How many times do I have to tell you? I don’t_ care,” _Chloé snaps. “Why do you keep coming back? We aren’t_ friends _anymore. Why don’t you understand that!”_

_“I just want to help you, Chloé,” Marinette says quietly. “You’re hurting. I want to help.”_

But you can’t.

_Chloé’s hurting. She’s hurting, but it’s like Audrey Bourgeois always tells her. She’s a lost cause. She’s a failure. No one will ever love her._

_Not even Marinette._

_Marinette doesn’t deserve hanging out with someone like her, Chloé decides. And it’s why she continues to push her away, continuing to hurt her and hurt her with words._

_Marinette holds on for far too long. She continues coming back for far too long._

_Until it gets physical one day, and Chloé. . . . she loses herself._

_And, as nine year old Marinette stares at her, with scraped knees and elbows from where Chloé pushed her and tears are welling up in her eyes, she finally understands._

_Marinette finally realizes it’s a lost cause and. . . . stops._

_She stops trying to help. She stops trying to be there._

_The years go on._

_Chloé finds herself a new “friend.” Sabrina. But she isn’t the same. She’ll never be the same._

_It’s a void Chloé didn't realize she needed filling until Marinette leaves._

_She’s alone. Just like before._

_And this time? Someone like Marinette isn’t going to come back and fill it._

* * *

Memories upon memories flit through Marinette’s head.

They don’t stop. Memories she’d completely forgotten about come back up onto the surface. The ones where she’s laughed with Chloé, the ones where they’ve cried together, the ones where they’ve hurt each other. . . .

 _Or more so when she’s hurt_ you, the voice in her head whispers.

Marinette’s laying on her bed. She closes her eyes and lets out a sigh. It’s been hours since Chloé’s confession, and she hasn’t been able to do much of anything else except play out what happened in her head over and over again.

_“I knew you were the girl I loved from the moment I first met you.”_

But if Chloé really has been in love with her from the moment they met. . . . then why did she push her away? Why did she push her away, hurt her, ignore her trying to help? Why did she pick on her for years, pick on her when she knew Marinette could barely stand up for herself?

Is that really love? Is that really what Marinette wants?

“Marinette,” Tikki says softly.

Marinette opens her eyes and stares at her kwami, who’s watching her worriedly. “Yeah?”

“Are you okay?”

“I. . . . I don’t know,” she confesses.

Tikki flies over and nuzzles herself in her chosen’s hair. “You know it’s your choice. If you want to ignore Chloé’s confession entirely, you can! You don’t have to feel like you need to respond. But it’s also okay to confront her, if you need an answer.”

Marinette turns on her side and stares at her phone. All it would take is one phone call. She wouldn't even have to confront Chloé at school! She could simply call her, say “no, I’m not interested,” and end it.

Granted, Marinette doesn’t even _know_ whether or not she's interested, but, well. . . . Chloé has been making an effort to be nice and talk to her. She should at least try and respect that.

“Thanks, Tikki,” Marinette says. “But I think I’m going to try and talk to her.”

“I hope you’re able to figure things out.”  
Marinette reaches above her bed to grab her phone before laying back down. “I hope so, too.”

* * *

_Tues • 21:03_

_To: Adrien_

**Marinette:** hey, can i have chloé’s number?

 **Adrien:** Sure

 **Adrien:** Wait. Are you going to talk to her??

 **Marinette:** well i mean, i don’t know if it’s a good idea

 **Marinette:** but yeah

 **Adrien:** Are you doing this because you want to? Or because you feel like you have to?

 **Marinette:** i have to do it

 **Marinette:** but at the same time, i want to? i can’t just leave her hanging after she was honest with me

 **Marinette:** it’ll be hard… but i should at least _try_ to talk to her, right? it would be rude to just ignore her

 **Adrien:** I’m proud of you, Marinette.

 **Adrien:** I hope you’re able to figure out things between you two.

 **Marinette:** thanks, adrien <3

 **Adrien:** <3

_Tues • 21:17_

_To: Chloé_

**Marinette:** hi chloé, this is marinette. i got your number from adrien. if you’re willing, i just want to talk about what happened today.

 **Marinette:** so please call me back if you want to talk?

 **Marinette:** thanks

_Tues • 21:42_

_Incoming call from Chloé Bourgeois_

* * *

Chloé stares at the message she got from Marinette barely seconds earlier, instantly fighting the urge to respond with a message like, _“no, I don’t want to talk to_ you,” and drive her off.

She _should_ talk to her. It’s the logical answer.

But, as Chloé looks down at her phone with a sense of dread rising within her, she knows it’s not as easy as it may seem.

She’s confessed her feelings! She’s _finally_ told Marinette how she felt, and yet. . . .

“This is pathetic,” she mutters under her breath as she tosses her phone to the other side of her bed and lays down, facing away from it. “I can’t believe you’re afraid to talk to her.”

Because in all honesty, it’s the truth. Marinette hasn’t given her any indication about what she’s going to say. It could be a rejection. It could be, _“Chloé, no offense, but I will_ never _feel the same way about you,_ especially _since you’re hurt me way too much in the past.”_

Who knows? Maybe it could even be Marinette accepting her feelings.

But Chloé knows her luck.

And, knowing perfectly well what Marinette thinks of her, she knows that isn’t going to be happening anytime soon.

Marinette wants to call her to reject her. She’s sure of it.

It stings, but Chloé supposes it’s what she deserves.

Chloé spends the rest of her time mulling over this. It’s only when she gets a text from Adrien— _you better be planning on calling Marinette soon—_ that Chloé sighs, picks up her phone, and presses _call_ next to the contact where she’d saved Marinette’s number.

Her heart is pounding. She has no idea which way this conversation will go.

But, well, it’s high time she figures things out.

Her breath catches in her throat the moment Marinette picks up, the moment Chloé can hear her breathing on the other end of the line.

“Hey,” Marinette says.

It’s all Chloé can do from instantly blurting out, _“spit it out, just reject me so I can move on with it.”_

“Hey,” is what she says back instead, swallowing nervously.

“So I, uh, wanted to talk to you, about your confession.”

“What about it?” she asks defensively.

Marinette’s silent on the other end of the line for a few seconds. “I. . . . don’t know if you’ll believe me, but I really had _no_ idea it was coming. And before you say anything,” she adds just as Chloé is about to open her mouth and respond, “no, you being ‘nice’ and ‘sweet’ to me all of a sudden did not make it obvious. Instead, it made me confused.”

Chloé finds herself getting even more defensive. “Exactly _how_ did it make you confused?”  
“I thought that would be obvious.”

“It’s not.”

 _Spit it out already,_ Chloé wants to scream. _Just reject me already and get it over with._

“You’ve never really been nice to me, Chloé. You’ve never even _tried_ to be friendly with me until now, “Marinette says. “It’s why I’m confused.”

Chloé feels herself clenching her phone tightly, finding herself getting angrier, but Marinette continues.

 _“Why,_ Chloé? Why do you love me? What reasons do you have to love me? I thought you hated me. I thought—”

“I don’t hate you,” Chloé snaps.

_Why would I ever hate you?_

“It seems that way,” Marinette says.

“It’s not true.”

“You always continued to push me away, even when you clearly needed someone to be there for you. But you ignored me and just. . . . p-picked me.” Marinette pauses. Her voice shakes slightly at the word, as if she’s recalling memories from the past. “It doesn’t make sense. You clearly didn't want me to help, so I assume you hated me. But then—”

“Have you ever stopped to think what would’ve been going through _my_ head, Dupain-Cheng? Why _I_ pushed you away? You—”

“I _did,”_ Marinette interrupts, “and I can see _why_ you did it. You were hurting. You didn't know how else to go about things. You pushed me away because you thought it would be the best for you at the time.”

Chloé’s mouth snaps shut. How is it that Marinette understands her so well?

“But that doesn’t justify you hurting me after that.”

Guilt rises up her throat.

Marinette’s right.

Chloé squashes the notion down.

“Why don’t you just tell me the real reason you called me already?” she hisses. “It’s obvious you’re just going to reject me. So go ahead. Do it already and let me have the rest of my night in peace.”

“Chloé—”

“Just get on with it! It’s obvious this is never going to happen, and I understand it was wrong of me to even _think_ that it ever could happen, so why can’t you just _spit it out_ and let me—”

“I’m not going to reject you, Chloé.”

If they were seeing each other in person, Chloé is sure Marinette would be looking at her with that same soft, pitying smile she seems to give everyone who’s acting the way she is now.

“W-What?”

_Why not?_

“I’m not going to reject your confession, but I’m not going to be accepting it either.”

Chloé glares at her phone in confusion. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I just. . . . I just want to know _why._ Lead me through your head. Tell me why you feel this way about me despite everything else that happened. I just want to know,” Marinette says quietly, and any resolve Chloé had to keep protesting fades away.

Chloé can’t see Marinette’s face. But she knows that if she could see her, she would be looking at her gently, in the same way she’d looked at Chloé all those years ago in the rain.

And so, she gives in.

Marinette’s kind. Marinette’s willing to help others, and she’s someone other people look up to her. Chloé loves her for everything that makes her who she is. 

It’s as simple as that.

It’s hard to put it in words, but through much fumbling and stuttering, much, much later, Marinette is finally quiet on the other end of the line, barely breathing, and Chloé's cheeks are tinted pink as she waits for her to finally speak.

She can’t believe this is happening. She can’t believe this is _finally_ happening.

Chloé confessed. She confessed after all of these years, after _so_ many years of keeping her feelings to herself, she’s _finally_ told Marinette the way she feels.

And Chloé realizes that even if Marinette doesn’t accept, even if she decides to never talk to her again after this, she’s just happy she’s finally confessed and let those feelings go.

It feels so _freeing_ in a way she’s never imagined, and she loves it.

“I don’t know if I have romantic feelings for you, Chloé, “Marinette says softly. “In all honesty, I don’t even _know_ if our friendship could be repaired at this point.”

“I understand,” Chloé says, “and I want to stay that I’m sorry.”

Marinette pauses. “What?”

“I’m sorry,” Chloé says, “I’m sorry for hurting you. I’m sorry for pushing you away. I. . . . I was hurt, and I know that isn't an excuse, but—”

“I would be willing to try.”

“I just—” Chloé’s eyes widen in shock. “W-What?”

“Try fixing our friendship, I mean. By being _ourselves._ Just like, trying to get to know each other again, restarting things. I’ll keep your confession in mind,” Marinette adds, “but I do feel like we have a long way to go before we get anywhere near there.”

_She’s willing to try._

It’s a start. Chloé’s willing to take it.

“Okay.”

“Alright,” Marinette says on the other end of the line. “Hi, Chloé Bourgeois. My name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng, and I’d like to get to know you better.”

Chloé feels a smile make her way onto her face as she says, “Hi, Marinette Dupain-Cheng. My name is Chloé Bourgeois, and I’d like to get to know you better, too.”

Their call ends that day with Chloé staring at her phone with a huge grin on her face as she saves Marinette’s phone number in her contacts.

* * *

It takes time, like Marinette says.

But on a day several months later, with two girls sitting in the rain on the banks of the Seine with a familiar umbrella above their heads, Chloé tells her something.

“You know,” she murmurs, “I knew you were the girl I loved from the moment I first met you.”

Marinette simply smiles as she turns her head towards her. “And you know,” she says slowly, “I think I’ve come to love the girl beside me, too.”

There are two girls sitting on the banks of the Seine, an umbrella above their heads as they sit in the rain, dry.

(Or well, as dry as they can. The umbrella is too small to accommodate both of them, but neither has the heart to use a different one.)

They both smile.

And, despite the darkness of the thunderclouds and the rain pouring around them, they manage to find light in each other.

**Author's Note:**

> Join the [Miraculous Fanworks Discord Server](https://discord.gg/mlfanworks) if you’re a writer, reader, or artist! It’s a lovely community filled with even lovelier people <3


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